Solid

Solid is a straight-ahead heavy-metal record that wins on thick riffs and concise song structures around Udo Dirkschneider’s metallic voice. After a few years’ hiatus, it is a comeback on which U.D.O. returns straight to its own style. Avoiding needless decoration, it pushes the chop of the guitar and the drive of the rhythm section to the front. From the momentum of the opener “Independence Day” and the aggression of “Two Faced Woman” to the weight of “The Punisher” and the strength of “Preachers of the Night” and “Braindead Hero,” every song carries a straight-ahead hook. Aggressive yet holding memorable choruses and stage-ready drive, the songs feel alive. Its significance is that, in the late 1990s, it recovered the appeal of U.D.O.’s hard-edged metal without hesitation. A stance of straightening and polishing the style it does best, rather than chasing trends, feels good. True to the band’s name, it is a firm, reliable, fulfilling record of German heavy metal.